The Enforcement Directorate (ED) moved the Supreme Court today against a trial court's decision to discharge the Maran brothers in the Aircel-Maxis case without furnishing the bail bond properly.TNN & Agencies | February 03, 2017, 14:22 IST

In its appeal, the agency urged the apex court to direct the special 2G court against accepting the bonds furnished by the Marans after their discharge. It also asked the Supreme Court not to release the Maran brothers' properties attached in the case.

A special court had discharged former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his industrialist brother and promoter Kalanithi Maran and others in the Aircel-Maxis case on Thursday. The court had said in its ruling that the charges were based on "misreading of official files", speculation and surmises of the complainant.

Special CBI Judge O P Saini had dismissed the CBI and ED's cases against the Marans by saying there was "no prima facie case warranting framing of charge" against any of the accused.

The judge further said that the oral statements used by the CBI and the ED to frame charges were a "dangerous trend" and that if it were allowed "anybody and everybody in the government can be made to face prosecution".

The court was hearing two different matters related to the Aircel-Maxis deal, one lodged by the CBI in 2011, and another by the ED in 2012.

The Maran brothers and company Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd were accused in both cases on charges of money laundering and corruption.

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After PSU banks, the government is likely to infuse capital in two chronically ill telecom PSUs BSNL and MTNL, and the Union Cabinet is likely to take a decision on 4G spectrum allocation to them by the third week of the current month after DoT places the note before it for consideration.

At a high-level meeting at the PMO late Tuesday, it was also decided that the two telcos will frame a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to reduce their employee strength, which will be followed by a reduction in the retirement age to 58.